RX in NC

Yep, you really do want to get that leak repaired, especially while you're still under warranty. Small leaks usually get worse over time and you don't want to be 100 miles from home (maybe that's not possible on Oahu) and suddenly lose half of your transmission fluid. Did Lexus fix the initial leak with the previous owner? Toyota gaskets are normally quite good, so it's unusual for a new leak to have surfaced so quickly in the same area unless an inexperienced technician drew the short straw that day and was handed your vehicle for repair.... Ask the dealership to carefully check the metal flange areas that the gasket seals against. You could have some slight burring on those areas that is causing your problem. If that's the case, they'll need to machine it down to smooth metal surface again so your new gasket will seat and seal properly.... Good luck and keep us posted what they find and then do to finally solve this problem....

Well put. The Old Boy Network has been shaken to its knees for the first time in decades, and it is sputtering and complaining and still formulating on how it will respond over the long haul. The old guard didn't believe that Obama actually had the cahunas to really do what he said he would do during his campaign. They are finding out now that he meant what he said and that he's willing to stake his reputation (and potential second term) on it. Whether you agree with him or not, you must admit that the man has guts to go along with his smarts. Very, very refreshing after the previous eight years....

He frequently talked about off-roading his Wrangler in the Utah mountains near where he lived. Sure hope he didn't roll that thing over on top of himself....

Anyone know what happened to BillyShaft? He posted here prolifically throughout this past autumn and winter and now seems to have vanished without a trace. I know he had a propensity to sling comical insults at folks (usually fairly harmless, though) so perhaps that got him banned. I enjoyed bantering with him and just wonder why he disappeared.... "But people get high and people get by In the tropics, they come and they go...."

Looks like a factory fit. Nice job....

Way too busy with other more pressing matters lately to check these boards as frequently as I used to.... But at least my memory remains sharp as a tack. What happened to yours? I've said multiple times over the years that I've been a registered Republican since becoming eligible to vote way back in 1972 (probably before you were even a figment of your dad's imagination). An idiot in the Oval Office for the past 8 years didn't cause me to switch party affiliation. Made me ashamed to admit it quite frequently, but I still couldn't bring myself to step over to the other side....

Agreed. I had already planned to take my wife's RX out on the highway at least once a week if she does not. Fortunately, when she does drive it, it is usually at least 30 or 40 miles and it always involves at least 20 miles of highway driving....

Sorry nc211, but Bush's reign will be missed by very, very few here in America or around the world. Obama still scores high approval ratings even with the gaffes that have taken place around him. Don't underestimate his intelligence as much of the GOP did during the run-up to the election - that will carry him a long, long way if he keeps his nose clean (and assassination attempts continue to be kept in check - still his biggest threat in my opinion). The GOP needs more than just youth from a potential party leader - they need competence, humility, brainpower, the actual ability to work both sides of the aisle after getting pulverized in November, and it wouldn't hurt to find a little star power as well. Palin was a joke and is off the table just as she should be. Bobby Jihndal (spelling?) has shown that he is nowhere near ready for prime time and remains far too wooden in his delivery and appearance. The GOP will need at least a couple of years to identify their best-chance candidate for 2012. But if the economy turns around by the end of 2010 and the Obama administration successfully withdraws our troops from Iraq on schedule, it won't matter who the Republicans put up against him. And if we manage to nail Bin Laden on Obama's watch, fuggetaboutit....

Are you still running the original factory spark plugs? The Denso iridium plugs are fantastic and will often deliver 150,000-plus miles with no problems, but if you're still running your original plugs I would consider changing them as well....

If you have 18-inch wheels, the Alenzas are the best bang-for-the-buck on the market. They are great in all four seasons, including summer. Just keep your tire pressure where it needs to be and keep them rotated regularly. If you have 16-inch or 17-inch wheels, then the Firestone Destination LE is the best bang-for-the-buck. It is Firestone's version of the Bridgestone Alenza, is almost as great a tire, lasts just as long, and is about half the price of the Alenza (last time I checked, anyway). We've had both tires, and I can speak to the quality of both tires as a result....

I had Discount Tire swap out the brand-new set of Michelins that had just been mounted on the vehicle by the dealer before we bought it. The dealer had purchased the Michelins at the Discount Tire branch that he always uses, so there was no problem in me doing this since I required the dealer to give me the Michelin tire receipt. The Alenzas cost me a total of $47 out-of-pocket to swap out.... Haven't priced them lately so I don't know what a set would go for today. Try tirerack.com. Then try Discount Tire. Also call your local Firestone dealer and ask for a buy-three-get-one-free deal. In this tough economy, most tire dealers are willing to bend over backwards these days to get your business, so if you don't negotiate you're paying way too much. Discount Tire will typically match any deal you can find elsewhere - they are a great tire chain and most of their customers go back time and time again when they need tires....

Sure. Even though a trickle charger isn't really the answer in our situation, I'm interested in learning how it worked for you.... In our case, the answer is simply to drive the car more than once a week. If she won't do it, I'll have to. I can always use it for errands though I'd much prefer to be in my Ram....

My wife typically puts 35,000 miles or more on her vehicles on an annual basis and that was certainly the case for her 2004 RX330 until we acquired our 2005 Jaguar S-Type just before Christmas. It was originally intended to split the driving done by my wife right down the middle between the S-Type and the RX330. But she much prefers to drive the Jaguar almost full-time and now her RX330 is only used when she needs to haul our dogs to classes or shows, an average of perhaps once a week encompassing a 40 or 50-mile round-trip. At that rate, the miles put on her RX330 will drop to less than 3,000 per year. While that can significantly lengthen the lifespan of this dog-hauler for us, I know that today's vehicles need to be driven regularly since the onboard security systems constantly draw battery power which needs to be replenished via regular driving. Other than the security system and the clock, what else draws current 100% of the time and could short-term the battery in this vehicle? If she's not going to drive her RX330 enough to keep all systems fully operational, that means that I'll have to make up the difference (something that I really don't want to do since I'm way too tall to ever get comfortable in it). If she continues to drive it an average of once a week and I double that by also taking it out about once a week, I hope that will be enough to keep the vehicle charged up and lubed up and in good enough working order to keep it around for quite awhile longer....

Exactly. Veterans don't like to hear it, but there is a greater number of unstable, dangerous characters in the military today as compared to the traditional serviceman in the WWII, Korean War, and even Vietnam timeframes. Many of today's recruits were borderline when they signed up, were further traumatized by their experiences in a war zone, and then can't or won't get the help they need to decompress and safely return to civilian life when their term of service is over. Then they can't adjust, their brains snap, and they wind up killing their wives or girlfriends in fits of rage. We see these stories on the news far too often these days. I don't have an answer other than better pre-selection screening by the military (especially the Marines and the Army) and a mandatory decompression program that gives these guys a better chance to safely return to "normal civilian life" again, whatever that may be. The Air Force and the Navy seem to do it much better - the guys who snap, kill somebody, and then make headlines all over the country always seem to be either Marines or Army.... Lenore, I'm not knocking veterans. The vast majority do indeed return to civilian life without incident. My late father fought his way across Europe as a machine-gunner on a tank in Patton's 3rd Army during WWII. He was 18 and 19 years old. He did his duty, was fortunate to survive, returned home, went to college on the GI Bill, got married, started a career, started a family, and never talked about his experiences overseas with anyone. But those who knew him both before and after his tour of duty said that he was definitely a changed man after returning stateside. He kept to himself more. He had recurring nightmares about his experiences in the middle of the Battle of the Bulge. His temper changed from mild to unpredictable. There was no help available from the Army in dealing with this even though my grandmother pursued it for years. So he handled it himself as best he could. He didn't go ballistic on my mother or any of us three kids thank goodness, but when he finally snapped in February 1974, he drove off to a remote location 100 miles from home and put a bullet through his brain leaving a wife and three kids behind to deal with the consequences. I was in the middle of my second semester mid-term exams during my junior year in college. We buried my father and the next day I was back in class taking exams because I knew life goes on and it was the right thing to do.... So I have some indirect experience in this matter when I say that the military has long failed its returning servicemen in terms of providing them with the decompression and counseling they need in order to return successfully and safely to civilian life....

It would be one or more of the following three fuses and locations: - Fuse 14 (20 amp), located in the fuse box in the engine compartment. - Fuse 63 (15 amp), located in the fuse box in the drivers side instrument panel. - Fuse 64 (15 amp), located in the fuse box in the drivers side instrument panel. If you have a 2004 RX330, further information (including fuse box diagrams with specific fuse locations) can be found in your Owners Manual on page 585 and pages 594 to 597.

There's an interesting conversation about PCV valves going on right now at one of the Jaguar forums I frequent. Some cars today don't even have PCV valves - their federally-mandated Positive Crankcase Ventilation and Exhaust Gas Recirculation are handled without the use of a PCV valve. I remember when PCV valve replacement was part of every major tune-up back in the 1970s and 80s. Today, you never even see the PCV valve listed as a replacement item in manufacturers' service schedules. I probably haven't replaced one in 20 years or more. With today's much-improved gasoline additives and computer-controlled fuel injection, I don't think PCV valves clog up nearly as much as they did back in the 70s....

Keep in mind that to maximize your chances of getting all-around even tire wear, some specific makes and models require camber/caster specs to be set not in the MIDDLE of the manufacturer's published acceptable range like most alignment techs shoot for, but at either the upper or lower ends of the range depending upon the vehicle in question. Our Jaguar S-Type is like that - if you set the camber in the middle of Jaguar's published range, you'll get excessive inner treadwear on your front tires. Alignment techs with significant S-Type experience know to adjust the camber towards the higher end of Jaguar's range to compensate for this tendency towards inner treadwear in these cars. The IS300 may be the same way. Your best bet is to call around and find a long-time alignment tech who has experience with the IS300. You may not find him at your Lexus dealership. I would trust a long-time independent alignment tech a lot more since there is so much turnover at the dealership service departments these days, and the reputable independent alignment guys are so much better at what they do in my opinion. Proper aligning is as much art as it is science, even with today's computerized equipment. Find an experienced guy who knows your car, and you'll have the best chance of staying in proper alignment for much longer periods of time....

When the rear main seal on my wife's previous 2000 RX300 AWD failed at 70-something thousand miles back in the late 2004 timeframe, our Lexus dealership covered the replacement in full. I was able to see and hold the new, better-made seal and compare it to the old, leaking seal that supposedly came out of her vehicle and there's no question that the new seal was thicker and probably a bit heavier than the old seal. Yes, the old seal had been "baked", no question about that, but the new seal was definitely thicker and hopefully made of more pliable compounds. I could certainly see and feel the difference, and if you did this job yourself yet couldn't tell the difference between your old and new seals, then I have to question whether you really were sold the "new and improved" seal rather than just another old one that had been sitting on the shelf in inventory for a number of years....

The recent Powers report where Jaguar and Buick finished first was supposedly based on three years of ownership going back to the 2005 model year. If that is true, then Ford's ownership of Jaguar until mid-2007 deserves much of the credit for Jaguar topping the charts.... These reports are great marketing material for the companies who top the list each year. But I've always questioned just how applicable they truly are in the real world. For the larger brands (including Toyota and Honda), survey samples may be too small to provide much degree of accuracy either way. I believe that you're always better off taking the necessary time to do your own thorough research using many different sources before you decide what vehicle you're going to go out and chase. If I hadn't done my research to the maximum degree that I did, I would not have purchased our S-Type even with the terrible economy working to my advantage along with Jaguar's steep depreciation factor.... And as I explained before, I'll mitigate Jaguar's higher maintenance costs by doing as much of the work as I possibly can myself. The parts don't typically murder your wallet nearly as much as the labor rates do. There are several good independent service options other than the dealership here in the Triangle. If it turns out in the long run that the risk for owning this S-Type is greater than I projected during my initial risk analysis, I'll simply take my time and sell the car for as much as I can get for it. We don't have to depend on it for transportation purposes. I practically stole it so I don't have nearly as much to lose had I purchased it new....

Yes, I've communicated with Tata corporate in India via e-mail with questions I had about their long-range plans for Jaguar, particularly from a parts supply standpoint here in the U.S. Within 12 hours of sending my e-mail, I heard from the Vice President of Parts and Service for Jaguar USA. He answered every one of my questions in detail, thanked me for being a new Jaguar customer, gave me his direct office phone number and that of his assistant, and invited me to tour Jaguar USA headquarters in New Jersey with him if I'm ever up that way.... Very, very impressive. I've never received anything even close to the personal treatment I've received from Jaguar since day one. And keep in mind that I bought a used S-Type, not a new one! Thus far I'm extremely encouraged that Jaguar will experience long-term continuous improvement under Tata's ownership. Their efforts since purchasing the majority stake in Jaguar during 2007 are obviously beginning to pay off....

Tom, Thanks for your efforts in continuing to try to get Lexus to reveal when they finally re-engineered the planetary gears in these RX transmissions. Just the simple public release of the RX VIN number in which the new gears were first installed at the factory would be crucial information to owners who are plagued with this insidious defect. But Lexus has decided keep quiet and wait it out rather than step up to the plate by making this information public. Those of us who've dealt with this issue over the years should not be surprised by the company's chosen strategy. But with folks keeping their vehicles much longer than usual as a result of the terrible economy, Lexus may find itself having to deal with the repercussions over a much longer period of time than it originally projected.... Thanks again for trying. At least we no longer have to suspect that Lexus knew it had a transmission problem. You have all but confirmed that Lexus absolutely knew about the problem and chose to keep silent about it until challenged by frustrated and later furious customers who experienced these failures....

Trust me. Get the Alenzas. You won't regret it. Ours are pushing 48,000 miles and still going strong. They have never, ever hydroplaned, which not many tires approaching 50,000 miles can still say.... On a side note, I was just perusing my old friend and favorite musician on the planet's website after a recent e-mail conversation with him and thought I caught a quick glimpse of the "Hipster Doofus" moniker on there somewhere, maybe in the "Kudos Comments" category. I take it you're also a Don Dixon fan?

You'll be wasting your money putting the Avids on an RX. It is the furthest thing from a performance vehicle out there. Go with the Alenzas instead. When they outlast a set of Avids by going twice the distance the Avids would have gone two to three years from now, you'll be glad you did....

First things first - check the fuses. Look in your owners manual for your fuse diagrams. Find the fuses associated with the mirrors, then pull them and check to see if they've blown. Don't know if the updated navigation disk could have hosed your mirrors, but anything is possible (although I doubt it).

Yep, I think that "passion" has a lot to do with it. I still can't believe the number of folks on that site who have $300,000 or $400,000 worth of Jaguars sitting in their four or five-car garages, especially in Southern California. Sure, they're beautiful, fast cars, but at the end of the day they're still just depreciating bundles of steel. Only a handful of classic cars are truly "investments" these days - the bottom has fallen out of that market and is likely to stay there for years. I love our S-Type, but I took advantage of the terrible economy and paid a fraction of what it's worth to acquire it and don't consider it anything more than another means of transportation for us. I want to spend as little money and time as I possibly can keeping it in good working order.... It's a shame that Club Lexus would run their techs off the site. On the Jaguar forum, the techs are treated like royalty and are always profusely thanked whenever they pitch in to help.... The Dodge truck forum is a bit more challenging because along with the actual techs, you have the wannabe techs who are extremely knowledgeable but also want to prove that they know just as much or more than the actual techs. The testosterone and bullsh*t levels are often pegged to the max over there, so you have to learn to recognize fact from speculation. Those guys really know their trucks, though, and I've gotten fantastic spot-on help there the couple of times I've needed it with my truck. It can be a lot of fun if you have thick skin and don't get caught up in the macho man thing....